Loves Sacrifice
by Awesome Rapidash
Summary: What would someone sacrifice to spend the rest of their life with the one they love? Leia is about to make such a sacrifice, guided only by a feeling within her heart. Village Square Writing Festival entry!


_**A/N:**__ This story is my entry in the Village Square writing festival. The topic: Sacrifice. What would someone sacrifice to spend the rest of their life with the one they love? _

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own any aspect of the Harvest Moon series. _

_**Loves Sacrifice**_

The warm afternoon sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, turning the distant sky deep shades of red and orange. A lone figure sat on the sandy beach and marveled at nature's wondrous beauty. The cool sea breeze ruffled her light green hair and her ocean blue eyes watched as day transitioned into night.

She watched curiously as a pair of sea gulls took turns diving into the rolling waves. Soon it would be time for a decision to be made, a decision that if followed through, would change her life forever.

As darkness enveloped the beach, an uneasy feeling washed over the young mermaid causing her to shift her position nervously. The sound of approaching steps caught the mermaid's sensitive hearing and she turned her head in the direction the person was approaching from. Even in the early evening dusk she could make out the image of a tall woman with long sandy blond hair walking casually towards her.

"So child, have you made your final decision?" the Witch Princess asked as she stepped over to where Leia was sitting.

Leia looked up at the witch's crimson eyes, and for a brief moment she thought they seemed to almost glow. "Yes I have."

A smile crossed the blond's face. "I see. And are you quite certain that you want to go through with this? You do realize that once we begin, there will be no going back and no chance to change things back to the way they were… ever."

The green haired mermaid nodded. "I understand exactly what is about to happen and I also know that the change is irreversible."

The witch smiled a little more. "Good. After all, I wouldn't want you to do something that you might regret without thinking it through completely." With that she opened the small leather satchel that she wore around her waist and reached inside. Withdrawing her hand, she removed a small brown glass bottle.

Leia watched nervously as the witch removed the bottle and held it out to her. "Are you certain that this will work properly?"

The Witch Princess rolled her crimson eyes and sighed. "Don't be silly child. I've been creating all types of spells and potions for well over two hundred years! Something as simple as this was nothing at all for me to create."

The blond haired girl's bravado did little to ease Leia's jumbled nerves.

"If you are truly ready for this, take the bottle and drink the entire contents. Do not hesitate, once the potion touches your lips, the transition will begin almost immediately."

The green haired mermaid acknowledged the witch's instructions with a single nod of her head. She reached out with her left hand and took hold of the bottle. With her right hand she pulled out the cork stopper and raised the potion to her lips. She took a deep breath and tipped the bottle up, emptying the contents into her mouth.

The heavy bitter liquid washed across her tongue and almost caused her to gag, yet somehow she managed to force herself to swallow the thick fluid. Within moments her vision began to blur and she felt her head begin to swim in a sea of nausea. A sharp bolt of pain shot through her tail, causing her to wince loudly and double over in pain. Unable to focus on anything except the excruciating pain now coursing throughout her body, she felt herself slipping quickly into unconsciousness. The Witch Princess smiling back at her was the last thing she saw before her world was enveloped in darkness.

* * *

Leia had no idea how long she'd been unconscious, but looking up she saw that the moon was now well up into the silky black night sky. She rolled gingerly onto her back and she looked up into the star filled sky overhead. Her head was still throbbing painfully and her tail felt numb. Wait a minute, her tail… she cautiously lifted her head and looked down the length of her body. To her surprise where her tail fin once was, she now had two slender human legs!

"It worked, it really worked!" Leia giggled happily as she wiggled her toes. "I can't believe it; I have legs and feet, just like a real human girl!" The green haired girl used her arms she pushed herself up from the cool sand and sat up, looking curiously her new human appendages.

The brisk nighttime breeze caused Leia to shiver and a sudden blush filled her cheeks. Looking down she realized that she was completely uncovered from her stomach down! She quickly moved over to where she had been sitting earlier and opened a cloth bag. She reached inside and removed a red tee shirt and a pair of worn black sweatpants. She quickly dressed herself and cautiously pushed herself to her feet. She took a few tentative steps before toppling over into the cool sand of the beach. She pushed herself back up and dusted off the sand from her sweatpants. Learning to use her new legs was going to be harder than she first thought it would be!

It took her a little while and she was now rather dirty from having fallen down numerous times, but she finally managed to make it back to Daryl's lab. She sighed gratefully when she noticed that the lights were off inside. Either the scientist had turned in early, or he'd not yet returned from his evening out with Flora. Either way, Leia was grateful that he wasn't around to see her in her current state. She made her way up the stairs and let herself into the quiet lab. She carefully walked over to the stairs that led to her tank and made her way down. It was late and the young girl suddenly felt very tired. She stumbled her way over to a chair and plopped herself down, quickly falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

The distant rumble of thunder and the sound of rain pelting the windows filled Leia's ears as she awoke the following morning. She stirred slowly and opened her ocean blue eyes, looking around the dimly lit room. Her head still ached a little and she took a deep breath, trying to clear the remaining cobwebs. After a few minutes she carefully she pushed herself up from the chair and stretched out her arms and legs. She then walked over to a table in the corner of the lab and picked up a pretty light blue and orange floral patterned sun dress and a pair of shoes. Today was going to be a special day and she wanted everything to be as perfect as possible.

She removed the tee shirt and sweatpants from the previous night and made her way over to the sink in the kitchen area to wash up. After drying off, she dressed herself in the new clothes and brushed out her light green hair. She then picked up one of the two seashell accents she usually wore and placed it on the right side of her head. A quick inspection in the nearby mirror brought a wide smile to the girls face. She had to admit to herself that she really did look good in the dress. She just hoped that Jack would agree. As she made her way to the stairs she made a mental note to thank Flora for her help in choosing the dress.

It was still raining lightly outside as Leia prepared to leave, so she grabbed a dark blue umbrella from the stand next to the door. Opening the door she stepped outside and headed towards Rose Farm. As she walked she was grateful for the falling rain. Thanks to it the streets of the valley were all but deserted. As she approached the white wooden gate of Rose Farm, she paused. Would Jack accept her like this? Or would he reject her and send her away? A worried look filled the former mermaids face as she pondered the troublesome questions.

"I guess I'll never know unless I find out!" she said out loud. After taking another couple of minutes to rally her courage, she pushed open the wooden gate and headed as confidently as she could up to Jack's home.

* * *

Jack was just finishing up his lunch when the sound of someone knocking on the door caught his attention. Not expecting guests, the brown haired farmer walked over and curiously opened the door. What he saw as he did so caught him completely by surprise!

"Hello Jack!" Leia chirped happily. She smiled happily at the dumbfounded look on her boyfriend's face. "Well, aren't you going to invite me inside?"

"L…Leia? Is that really you?" he stammered.

"Of course it is silly! Don't you recognize me?"

"S… sure I do. But… but, you have… legs!" he replied, pointing down at her slender legs. "How in the world did you get legs? Why?"

"I asked the Witch Princess to help me," the former mermaid explained. "She concocted a potion that transformed my tail into human legs."

"But why in the world would you do something like that Leia?" the farmer questioned. "I mean, can you return to your mermaid form?"

The green haired girl shook her head. "I did it so that I could be together with you, Jack. And to answer the second question, no, I can no longer become a mermaid. I'm a human girl from now on."

"You… you really did this just so that you could be together with me?"

"Of course Jack! I love you with all my heart and I'd be willing to sacrifice everything just to spend the rest of my life with you," Leia replied with a smile. But her smile quickly faded when she noticed the tears beginning to well in her boyfriend's chocolate brown eyes. "Is there something wrong Jack? Are you not happy that I've done this for you?"

The farmer wiped his eyes and smiled at his girlfriend. "I'm very happy Leia! It's just that never in my life would I have imagined that someone would make such an extreme sacrifice just to share their life with me." He stepped over and wrapped his arms around the petite girl, hugging her warmly. "I'll never forget what you've done for me Leia… for as long as we live!"

"I'm glad I was able to make you happy Jack."

The farmer could feel more warm tears tracking their way down his cheeks. "You've made me more than just happy Leia! I love you so much!"

"I love you too Jack, more than anything in the world!"

"But you said that you can no longer become a mermaid. What about your mom and your family living in the sea?" Jack inquired.

Leia sighed softly. "My mom knows what I've done. At first she was dead set against it and even tried several times to talk me out of it. But once she realized that I had my mind set, she seemed to accept it and even wished me luck."

"I see," the farmer said slowly. "Will you ever be able to see her again?"

"I don't know… she wasn't very happy with my choice after all."

Jack nodded slowly. "I'm sorry about that. I know how important your family is to you."

"You're right Jack, they are important to me. Yet at the same time, I was willing to sacrifice all that for the one feeling I know is true in my heart, my love for you Jack."

"Thank you Leia," he replied softly before placing a sweet kiss on her ruby red lips. "By the way, you look nice in that dress. It's a good look for you."

A smile filled the girl's face. "Thanks Jack! Flora helped me pick it out since I had no idea what a human girl might wear."

"Ah, I see. Well she did a good job; it fits your figure nicely."

"Thanks Jack, I'm glad you like it." Leia beamed happily.

For the rest of the day Leia watched curiously as Jack attended to his farm. She marveled at the variety of animals and plants that he cared for. In the past he had often tried to explain what he did on his farm to her and had even brought her pictures to show her. But that was no comparison to actually walking around there, walking on her own two feet!

As night approached she bid her love good-bye and began to head back towards Daryl's lab. As she did so she thought about her former life as a mermaid. A few tears escaped down her cheeks as she thought about not ever being able to see her family or to swim beneath the warm ocean waters. Yet, at the same time she thought about her love for Jack and a smile returned to her face. Sometimes making a sacrifice was the only way for someone to find true love and happiness!


End file.
